Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

This is the age of science and technology. Its civilisation and culture are bound up with knowledge of the physical universe. What the students have to learn today, however, are the culture of the Soul, the broadening of the Spirit and purification of the Heart. This knowledge leads to the unfolding of the Spirit and the sublimation of life. Along with the development of the intellect, the blossoming of the heart should also be promoted. Only that education is total and full which comprehends enlargement of hridaya (the spiritual or loving Spirit). It should serve to promote ethical values. Only then will it be possible to lead a well-regulated and disciplined life. The marks of true education are selflessness, humility and unostentatiousness. The ethos of Bharath is based on righteousness and justice and an inherent goodness of character. The edifice of right education rests on four pillars: Self-control, Self-support, Self-confidence and Selfsacrifice. Students today are totally oblivious to Self-support. How, then, can they achieve Selfcontrol? Education should aim not merely at making men human, but should try to make them perfect human beings. We may not have all the physical means necessary to help to protect the country. But if we adhere to Truth, that will confer on all of us the strength we need. If we stand by Truth, we shall be saving the whole world.

Students have to observe some do's and don'ts during the educational career. Foremost among these is the cultivation of good company. "Smara sajjana samparkam" (Welcome the company of the good). Then comes avoidance of association with bad persons. "Thyaja durjana samsargam" (Run away from evil company). By association with bad persons even a good student turns bad. "Kuru Punyam Ahorathram" (Do meritorious deeds night and day). You must be engaged in sacred actions. You must participate in service activities, serving with patience and sympathy the sick and the destitute. You must always be prepared to render any kind of help that people in distress might need. Man is subject to the vagaries of the mind. Hence students should try to cultivate the six virtues of shama, dhama, uparathi, thithiksha, sraddha and samadhana. Sama means control of the external senses. Dhama means control of the internal senses, namely mind, intellect, chittha and ahamkara. It is on account of the promptings of the internal senses that external sense organs operate. The internal senses are not visible. They are like the steering wheel in a car. The wheels that are external cannot turn unless the steering wheel is turned. The mind is the steering wheel. It is only when the mind acts that external organs like hands and feet can function. Hence, students should try to control the mind, using the intellect and the discriminating power of the chittha.

Uparathi is the process of turning the mind inward and purifying one's thoughts and feelings. By these means of self-control and self-regulation, one should try to get self-satisfaction. This comes when one lives up to the dictates of his conscience. Make your conscience your master.

Then comes thithiksha - equal-mindedness in the face of happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat, loss or gain. You must cultivate this equanimity from your student days. You should not give way to depression owing to failure or get unduly elated over your success. Without equanimity your entire life may be seriously affected by lack of balance. Sraddha (earnestness) is essential for accomplishing even small things in life. Through Sraddha, you develop the capacity to make proper use of your time and opportunities. Maintaining a proper time-schedule for all your daily activities will help you keep your heart in perfect condition. The schedule should be observed strictly. The decline in discipline everywhere which we witness today is due to the failure to observe the rules relating to time and place. Education today has taken the wrong road. There is no spirituality or excellence in it. The accent is all on getting some book knowledge by rote, scoring marks in the examinations and getting degrees to earn a living. Education should be for acquiring knowledge and not for earning a livelihood.

The aptitudes of students for specific subjects like mathematics or literature should be ascertained by teachers and students should be encouraged to develop their special talents. Instead, what is being done today is to make students take up courses which will enable them to earn lucrative careers. Jobs and not a good life have become the aim of education. Education should comprehend development of body, the mind and the spirit. It should be concerned with Prajnana (Constant Integrated Awareness). There is a great deal of talk about freedom. Largeness of heart, refinement of sensibilities and purity of the mind constitute true freedom. Freedom does not mean living as you please. Selfcontrol, self-satisfaction and self-knowledge constitute together the supreme expression of freedom. Freedom today has been equated with license. This is a travesty of freedom. Every student must become a light unto himself and a light for his home, his city and his nation. Unlike other educational institutions, the Sathya Sai Institute lays equal emphasis on scientific, economic and spiritual education. You should pursue your studies having regard to the unique environment obtaining here. You have to adjust yourselves to the conditions here and make the best use of the facilities and opportunities provided for you. Develop fraternal feelings towards your fellow-students.

I only want men whose hearts speak for them. I have no use for words divorced from the heart. You must put into practice human values and prepare yourselves to play your role in any sphere of life in a spirit of universal love and compassion. Discourse while inaugurating the new academic year of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning as its Chancellor in the